By Pretoria

Beta Tester Posts 450604

Warning: Sony and I will not be held liable for any damage or loss of data when changing your HDD.

Welcome to the Unofficial PS3 Hard Drive Upgrade Thread

This thread was put together by Timesplitter_01 because it would seem that there seems to be a lot of questions about replacing internal hard drives and trying to use external hard drives to back things up. This thread will continuously change when more information surfaces. This thread is a combination of information gathered from all over the web in one place.

Important Questions

Q: Does replacing your PS3 void your warranty?A: Simple answer is NO. But if you try to modify or take it apart it then this could void your warranty

Q: Will I need to keep the old 60GB internal Hard Drive?A: Yes you will need to keep the old one in case you have to send in your PS3 for Service and you will need to put the 60GB back into the PS3

Q: Do I need to be careful with the screws?A: This is probably the hardest bit of the whole process - trying not to strip the screws. From what I have read and watched it would seem if you get the correct size screwdrvier and apply some pressure when you are unscrewing them then it should come out fine with out stripping them

HINTS

Before we start anything I must stress that you have your DATA backup, espically your game data so that you can transfer it. The Device has to be formated in FAT32

WHAT YOU WILL NEED

1 NOTEBOOK 2.5 INCH HDD SATA ANY SIZE (We recommend staying with the same RPM as the PS3’s original HDD, 5400RPM. You can upgrade to 7200RPM, of course, but we cannot promise that it will not have ill-effects on your machine.)1 MINI PHILLIPS HEAD SCREWDRIVER1 MINI FLATHEAD SCREWDRIVER1 SOLID PLACE TO WORK1 EXTERNAL HARD DRIVE or USB (FORMATED TO FAT32)

- GO to saved data utility under GAMES and press triangle and then select copy from the opitions and then select the destination- Use the same for Music and Photos,etc- However as Far as I know you can not save the actual game down this way eg PSN downloads

and then select the Destination. The device has to be formated in FAT32 to be recognised by the PS3. This way everything gets backed up including the PSN downloads ( I am not sure of things that are protected though eg WarHawk).

Before I start this section and section 3 I would like to say that this is the work of ifmracin of the US playstation forums. He has been helping people on the USA forum out with many questions. My thanks goes out to him for creating the thread on the US playstation forums.

Anyways

1. Touch the power button on the system front for at least two seconds.The power indicator will turn solid red and the system will enter standby mode.

2. Turn off the system using the main power switch on the system rear.

3. Unplug the AC power cord and detach the other cables fromthe system.

4. Remove the HDD bay cover on the system's left side. Use the space at the right edge of the HDD bay cover to pull it out from the system.If the cover is difficult to remove, gently insert asmall screwdriver in the space and pry the cover off. Be careful not to damage the system or the cover when using a screwdriver.

1. Once the PS3 has formatted your new HDD go to settings2. Select System settings3. Backup utility 4. Restore

Replacement hard disks

You can use hard disks of the following types with the PS3™ system:

Size 2.5 inch (internal type)*1 Interface format Serial ATA*2

*1 Proper operation is not guaranteed for all models.*2 Parallel ATA is not supported.

2.5" form (generally refered to as a notebook drive)Serial ATA interface, also shown as SATA9.5mm Height

IMPORTANT: It is not recommended to sell or get rid of your factory hard drive. If you ever need to send it to Sony for repair, you are going to want to put the origional drive back in prior to sending it in.A good use for it is to get an external USB enclosure and convert it into a portable USB hard drive.

DiRT demo5400rpm - 1:29.2897200rpm - 1:25.385This one had 4 seconds shaved off. Not as good, but still about 5% increase in speed.

Notices

The hard disk is a sensitive piece of equipment and should be handled with care at all times. To help prevent software or data loss or corruption, or damage to the hard disk, carefully follow the precautions listed below:

-Do not drop the system or hard disk, or subject to physical shock or vibration.-Do not allow liquid or small particles to get into the system or hard disk.-Do not touch the connectors or insert foreign objects into the connectors.-Do not place the system or hard disk close to magnetic fields such as those produced by magnets or loudspeakers. Also, do not place devices that may be sensitive to magnetic forces (such as a wrist watch or a magnetic card) near the hard disk.-Do not put heavy objects on the hard disk.-When handling the hard disk hold it only by the edges or metal frame.-The hard disk is sensitive to static electricity. Ensure that proper handling methods are used when installing the hard disk.-Store in a cool, dry location.

Accepted Solution

Problem Solved

well to tell you the truth i wasnt expecting to see my networks games there..... but to my surprise i had everything..... maybe its got something to do with the device that your backing up to and whats on it already?? i dunno dude... lol.

Accepted Solution

Problem Solved

Yeah, the screws was my road block in the process. Literally sat there for a good 10 mins or so trying to get them off and thinking of other ways to do so. Pliers did the trick though, right away. Otherwise, it was a breeze to install.

Accepted Solution

Problem Solved

$119 and 2hrs later I now have a 320GB HDD, that has a capacity of 298GB, with only 263GB of starting space, or something like that. I did complete backups and I can confirm that they backup and restore all items on the HDD including copy protected items.

Accepted Solution

Problem Solved

kiwiatlarge wrote:Are these screws not just standard computer chassis to hard drive screws?? ... In which case, wouldn't the right size jewellers screwdriver or computer tech screwdriver do the trick??

YeahI usedthe right screw driver but they are in very tight and are very soft.

Accepted Solution

Problem Solved

I tried using three different sized jeweller's screwdrivers to try and get different kind of grips on the screws, but they just don't even budge an millimetre with normal force. I stripped one of them and I thought I'd never get it off. I couldn't believe how easily I got them all off once I got a pair of plyers and used that as the grip. I didn't even have to put that much force in the turn either. And the thing is, you don't even know which way the screw should turn in, so I wasn't sure if I was putting in unecessary force that would just strip the screw and get me no where.

Accepted Solution

Problem Solved

kiwiatlarge wrote:Are these screws not just standard computer chassis to hard drive screws?? ... In which case, wouldn't the right size jewellers screwdriver or computer tech screwdriver do the trick??

computer tech screwdrivers ftw!! :smileywink: ...LOL

i told my boss to just hold on ill go print out the instructions... came back with it and he had already swapped it over..

Accepted Solution

Problem Solved

Calais02 wrote:$119 and 2hrs later I now have a 320GB HDD, that has a capacity of 298GB, with only 263GB of starting space, or something like that. I did complete backups and I can confirm that they backup and restore all items on the HDD including copy protected items.

good to see that everything backed up for you..... strange how it works well for some and not for others.....

what was on your external USB hard drive b4 you backed up? i had absolutly nothing on mine.....

Problem Solved

Award Winner

I was actually thinking about not upgrading, but i checked my remaining space last night (12 GB left from 40 GB)

Now i've only got MGS 4, Resistance and GT5 Prologue

Also have got a few Vids, and like half a dozen or so demos

Now obviously with all these games coming out like Star Wars, Fifa 09, Fallout 3, LBP, etc. i am definatly going to and need to upgrade

I wouldn't want to keep deleting stuff just to make room

I don't think 60 GB or the 80 GB models would have be enough either

Message Edited by AJM84 on 08-09-2008 10:58 AM

I'm of similar opinion.. I know sooner or later I'm going to have to upgrade to maybe 250GB... at the moment I'm quite happy to delete old videos because I just stream them.. Demos I can live with deleting, although it seems a waste... but the game installs will force me to upsize sooner or later.

Videos don't bother me.. I'm a bigger fan of media streaming, than I am of storing 100s of GB of data on a PS3 only to have it sent in for repair. I can see I'm also going to soon need more external USB drives to keep up with a PC, a laptop and a PS3 which all require backing up